Suspect Arrested in Mail Bomb Case
Authorities have man in custody in Florida after string of suspicious packages sent to prominent Democrats
Federal authorities have arrested a man in Florida in connection with a string of explosive packages, according to the Department of Justice.
The FBI confirmed Friday morning that a dangerous package addressed to Sen. Cory Booker had been recovered in Florida.
The bureau said it was the 11th package with similar markings and characteristics containing pipe bombs that have been sent to prominent Democrats in recent days.
The #FBI has confirmed an 11th package has been recovered in Florida, similar in appearance to the others, addressed to Sen. Cory Booker.
— FBI (@FBI) October 26, 2018
A 12th package was discovered in New York, addressed to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, CNN reported Friday morning.
“This is definitely domestic terrorism, no question about it in my mind,” Clapper told CNN Friday morning. The package targeting Clapper was addressed to CNN’s headquarters, like a package aimed at former CIA Director John Brennan package earlier this week.
Other packages, all mailed in manila envelopes with Forever stamps, were sent to Democratic megadonor George Soros, 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, former Attorney General Eric Holder, actor Robert DeNiro and Rep. Maxine Waters of California.
[The Coincidence of Bomb Recipients, Trump and Far-Right Rhetoric]
The package intended for Holder did not reach its intended destination, but was rerouted to the return address, listed as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s district office in Florida. While the contents of the packages resemble bombs, none have exploded so far.
Many of the bomb targets have clashed with President Donald Trump in the past. The president has derided Waters as a “low IQ person” and retweeted conspiracy theories about Soros. At an awards ceremony in June, DeNiro uttered these words during a rant about the president: “F— Trump.”
Booker drew national attention last month during heated confirmation hearings for Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and is seen as a contender for the presidency in 2020.
The FBI says it remains possible that additional packages were mailed to other locations and that the public should “remain vigilant and not touch, move or handle any suspicious or unknown packages.”
The FBI is calling on the public to share any information they may have.
This is a developing story.
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